ERIN, WI – UNC Greensboro sophomore-to-be Erica Creed recorded a par on the final hole to win her match in the opening round of match play at the 2008 United States Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship on Wednesday.
Creed, a native of Kernersville, NC who is seeded No. 29, recorded her par on the 532-yard 18th hole to win 1-up in her match over 36th-seeded Stephany Fleet of Dewitt, MI. Fleet, who plays at Eastern Michigan and was the runner-up of the Women’s Public Links tournament last year, was up by three holes after the front nine, a side of the course that hasn’t been the kindest to Creed this week. But Creed rallied with wins on the next two holes to get back in it against last year’s finalist.
Creed was back down by two after 12 holes, but birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 squared the match and set the stage for the thrilling finish.
Creed will face No. 4 seed Lauren Doughtie, who plays her collegiate golf at North Carolina State and was the medalist at her sectional qualifier, in the second round on Thursday. Doughtie won 2 and 1 over Erica Moston in her first round match. The winner will advance to a third round match immediately following their match on Thursday. Creed and Doughtie will tee it up at 8:06 am local time on Thursday, with the third round match tentatively set for 1:18 pm.
Creed will look to continue a trend of upsets at this year’s tournament as Doughtie is now the highest-remaining seed in the 32-player field. The top three seeds in the bracket were all upset in action on Wednesday. Earlier this year, Doughtie became the first Wolfpack women’s golfer to qualify as an individual for the NCAA Championship.
For the second year in a row, the medalist – or in this case co-medalists – were eliminated in the first round of match play. Ellen Mueller, 19, of Dewey, Okla., defeated Lizette Salas, 18, of Azusa, Calif., 2 and 1, and Tzu Chi Lin, 18, of Chinese Taipei defeated Katie Kempter, 21, of Alburqurque, N.M., in 20 holes on the 6,158-yard, par-73 Erin Hills Golf Course.
But the medalists were not the only surprise first-round victims in a day that saw several marquee competitors ousted from the championship. The biggest upset came from 19-year-old Aimee Neff of Carmel, Ind., who defeated three-time NCAA Women’s Player of the Year Amanda Blumenherst of Scottsdale, Ariz., 2 and 1. The 21-year-old Blumenherst was the 2007 U.S. Women’s Amateur runner-up and has twice played for the USA in the Curtis Cup Match, including the recent victory at St. Andrews.
Also eliminated on Wednesday was No. 3 qualifier Kate Ackerson 21, of Allen, Tex., who fell to Lynette Duran of Lakewood, Colo., 2 and 1. At 25, Duran is the oldest remaining player in the field. And Brianna Do, 18, of Lakewood, Calif., who is headed to UCLA in the fall, defeated 2006 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion and ’08 Curtis Cupper Kimberly Kim of Hilo, Hawaii, 3 and 2.
AGATE
Round Of 64
Upper Bracket
Ellen Mueller, Bartlesville, Okla. (160) def. Lizette Salas, Azusa, Calif. (144), 2 and 1
Michelle Shin, Cape Coral, Fla. (156) def. Becca Huffer, Denver, Colo. (156), 3 and 2
Angela Oh, Maple Shade, N.J. (151) def. Caroline Kim, Canada (158), 7 and 6
Grace Na, Oakland, Calif. (158) def. Carly Werwie, Kenosha, Wis. (151), 2 up
Stephanie Kono, Honolulu, Hawaii (149) def. Laura Luethke, Fresno, Calif. (159), 5 and 3
Ani Gulugian, Irvine, Calif. (154) def. Julie Yang, Phoenix, Ariz. (157), 3 and 2
Shasta Averyhardt, Flint, Mich. (150) def. Demi Frances Runas, Torrance, Calif. (159), 4 and 3
Alexandra Stewart, Peoria, Ariz. (154) def. Gennifer Mendez, North Port, Fla. (157), 2 up
Lauren Doughtie, Suffolk, Va. (147) def. Erica Moston, Belmont, Calif. (160), 2 and 1
Erica Creed, Kernersville, N.C. (155) def. Stephany Fleet, Dewitt, Mich. (157), 1 up
Emily Powers, Quincy, Ill. (158) def. Megan Dowdy, Leander, Texas (150), 4 and 3
Kristen Schelling, Mesa, Ariz. (152) def. Victoria Trapani, Hollywood, Fla. (158), 6 and 5
Ha-Na Jang, Korea (147) def. Kelly Nakashima, Wailuku, Hawaii (160), 2 and 1
Madelle Swaney, Marietta, Ohio (157) def. Sarah Brown, Phillipsburg, N.J. (155), 1 up
Kayla Mortellaro, Phoenix, Ariz. (150) def. Mari Chun, Pearl City, Hawaii (158), 3 and 2
Jennifer Song, Korea (153) def. Kristina Merkle, Honolulu, Hawaii (157), 1 up
Lower Bracket
Tzu Chi Lin, Chinese Taipei (160) def. Katie Kempter, Albuquerque, N.M. (144), 20 holes
Emily Street, Forest City, N.C. (156) def. Pennapa Pulsawath, Thailand, 2 and 1
Jennie Lee, Henderson, Nev. (151) def. Joy Trotter, Chino Hills, Calif. (156), 3 and 2
Tiffany Lua, Rowland Heights, Calif. (151) def. Ryann O’Toole, San Clemente, Calif. (158), 4 and 3
Mayule Tomimbang, Kissimmee, Fla. (149) def. Candice Wiley, Shelbyville, Ky. (160), 5 and 4
Michelle Bowles, Davison, Mich. (154) def. Aurora Kan, Boothwyn, Pa. (157), 6 and 5
Stacey Kim, Columbus, Ga. (150) def. Inah Park, Fullerton, Calif. (159), 4 and 3
Brianna Do, Lakewood, Calif. (157) def. Kimberly Kim, Hilo, Hawaii (153), 3 and 2
Lynette Duran, Lakewood, Colo. (160) def. Kate Ackerson, Allen, Texas (146), 2 and 1
Lee Lopez, Whittier, Calif. (155) def. Kathleen White, Waukegan, Ill. (156), 19 holes
Jenny Lee, La Cañada, Calif. (158) def. Brooke Beeler, Butler, Ill. (151), 3 and 2
Aimee Neff, Carmel, Ind. (158) def. Amanda Blumenherst, Scottsdale, Ariz. (152), 2 and 1
Rebecca Kim, Tigard, Ore. (160) def. Kelly Fuchik, Tulsa, Okla. (149), 3 and 2
Jaye Marie Green, Boca Raton, Fla. (155) def. Ashley Sholer, Canada (157), 2 up
Sydnee Michaels, Temecula, Calif. (150) def. Christine Song, Fullerton, Calif. (158), 6 and 5
Tiffany Joh, San Diego, Calif. (153) def. Wonjoo Choi, Murrieta, Calif. (157), 3 and 2
Round of 32
Upper Bracket
7:30 a.m.: Ellen Mueller, Bartlesville, Okla. (160) vs. Michelle Shin, Cape Coral, Fla. (156)
7:39 a.m.: Angela Oh, Maple Shade, N.J. (151) vs. Grace Na, Oakland, Calif. (158)
7:48 a.m.: Stephanie Kono, Honolulu, Hawaii (149) vs. Ani Gulugian, Irvine, Calif. (154)
7:57 a.m.: Shasta Averyhardt, Flint, Mich. (150) vs. Alexandra Stewart, Peoria, Ariz. (154)
8:06 a.m.: Lauren Doughtie, Suffolk, Va. (147) vs. Erica Creed, Kernersville, N.C. (155)
8:15 a.m.: Emily Powers, Quincy, Ill. (158) vs. Kristen Schelling, Mesa, Ariz. (152)
8:24 a.m.: Ha-Na Jang, Korea (147) vs. Madelle Swaney, Marietta, Ohio (157)
8:33 a.m.: Kayla Mortellaro, Phoenix, Ariz. (150) vs. Jennifer Song, Korea (157)
Lower Bracket
8:42 a.m.: Tzu Chi Lin, Chinese Taipei (160) vs. Emily Street, Forest City, N.C. (156)
8:51 a.m.: Jennie Lee, Henderson, Nev. (151) vs. Tiffany Lua, Rowland Heights, Calif. (151)
9 a.m.: Mayule Tomimbang, Kissimmee, Fla. (149) vs. Michelle Bowles, Davison, Mich. (154)
9:09 a.m.: Stacey Kim, Columbus, Ga. (150) vs. Brianna Do, Lakewood, Calif. (157)
9:18 a.m.: Lynette Duran, Lakewood, Colo. (160) vs. Lee Lopez, Whittier, Calif. (155)
9:27 a.m.: Jenny Lee, La Cañada, Calif. (158) vs. Aimee Neff, Carmel, Ind. (158)
9:36 a.m.: Rebecca Kim, Tigard, Ore. (160) vs. Jaye Marie Green, Boca Raton, Fla. (155)
9:45 a.m.: Sydnee Michaels, Temecula, Calif. (150) vs. Tiffany Joh, San Diego, Calif. (153)
- UNCG -